Beijing at choking point but critics fear smokescreen

The city of Beijing has proposed rules that will shut factories and take cars off the road when smog reaches dangerous levels, as officials step up efforts to address pollution that has reached record levels this month.

Under the new rules, drivers face a 3000 yuan ($454) fine if their vehicles exceed emissions limits, while the construction of new cement and steel plants will be outlawed. A draft was posted on the government website on January 19 and the public will have until February 8 to comment.

The stricter anti-smog efforts appeared a week after pollution levels in the city hit a level that was almost 40 times recommended World Health Organisation limits. State-run media expressed scepticism that the new rules would have much effect, underscoring the challenges the government faces in tackling pollution.

“New regulations intended to kick in when pollution in Beijing reaches extreme levels will likely be as ineffective as the previous law," the Global Times said on Monday, citing environmental experts in the city.

Official measurements of PM2.5 – fine, airborne particulates that pose the greatest health risks – rose as high as 993 micrograms per cubic metre on January 12, a record high, according to the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs. The WHO recommends 24 hour exposure to PM2.5 levels no higher than 25.

After pollution levels fell during the week, smog rose again over the weekend and children and the elderly were advised to stay indoors as the air became “heavily polluted," according to the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Centre.

Air quality in Beijing improved on Sunday after snowfall slowed the accumulation of pollutants, and will remain “relatively good" for the next couple of days, the city’s monitoring centre said on its official Weibo microblog on Sina.com.

PM2.5 levels hit 155 at 9am near Tiananmen Square, according to government readings. The US Embassy’s pollution monitor said PM2.5 levels were 198, or “unhealthy".

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The draft regulation proposed that construction sites and transport operators should take measures to control the release of particulates.

Long-term exposure to fine particulates raises the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases as well as lung cancer, according to the WHO. The official English-language China Daily newspaper said on January 14 that Beijing was becoming better known for “Beijing cough" than it was for Peking duck or Peking opera.

China, which the World Bank estimates has 16 of the world’s 20 most-polluted cities, is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases. The burning of coal is the main source of pollution, accounting for 19 per cent, while vehicle emissions contribute 6 per cent, according to a study by Greenpeace and Peking University’s School of Public Health published on December 18.